ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday emphatically affirmed its unwavering commitment to safeguard its sovereignty, highlighting its proven capability to defend its territorial integrity against any external threats.
`Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression, as demonstrated by its robust response to India`s reckless incursion in February 2019, which laid bare India`s hollow claims of military superiority,` the Foreign Office said in response to a statement by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that seemed to be confirming that India conducted an assassinations campaign inside Pakistan.
Mr Singh in a TV interview said: `If any terrorist from a neighbouring country tries to disturb India or carry out terrorist activities here, he will be given a fitting reply. If he escapes to Pakistan we will go to Pakistan and kill him there.
Mr Singh`s comments followed the publishing of an article by the British newspaper, The Guardian,on India conducting targeted killings on Pakistani territory.
Amid an election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi subtly referenced these extraterritorial operations in a speech, stating: `Today`s India goes inside enemy territory to strike.
Mr Singh`s remarks constituted the first official confirmation by a senior Indian official that its intelligence operatives conducted assassinations abroad.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, echoing the position taken by the Foreign Office, warned India against any misadventure and said that in such a case a befitting response would be given.
The FO, while condemning Mr Singh`s statement, described it as `myopic and irresponsible`.
According to the statement, Delhi often engages in such rhetoric, deliberately stirring up extreme nationalistic fervour and unabashedly using this narrative for electoral gains.
India is currently in an election mode with polls barely two weeks away.
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